Center lock for bascule-bridges.



A. H. SCHERZER.

CENTER LOCK FOR BASGULE BRIDGES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26, 1909.

Patented Aug. 30, 1910 UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

ALBERT H. SCI-IERZER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CENTER LOCK FOR BASCULE-BRIDGES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. SCHER- zER, a citizen of the United States, of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Center Locks for Bascule-Bridges; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in bascule or lift bridges of that kind wherein the bridge is opened and closed by the swinging movement of two movable leaves in a vertical plane, and more especially to an improved central lock or locking device for connecting with each other the meeting` ends of the two leaves when the same are in their lowered or horizontal position.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

My improvements are herein shown as applied to that type of bascule bridge known as a rolling lift bridge, but it may be adapted to other types of bascule bridges having two swinging leaves or spans.

As shown in the accompanying drawings :,-Figure l is a view in side elevation of a rolling lift bridge having two swinging leaves; one of the leaves with its supporting means being shown in full, and the adjacent end only of a like leaf appearing in the drawing. Fig. 2 is a detail vertical section of the meeting parts of the bridge leaves, showing a central lock embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is a section taken upon line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

As shown in said drawings (Fig. l) A, A designate the two leaves of the bridge which are alike, although only one of them is shown in full in the drawings. Each leaf A is provided with a rolling segment B arranged in the plane of each of its side trusses at the approach or rear end of the same. Said segment rests and rolls on a track ci carried by a horizontal girder D supported at its ends on piers B1, B2 located at the shore end of the leaf.

E designates one of the counterweights, which are attached to the bridge trusses, one above each segment B, and which serve to counterbalance the span in the usual man- Specication of Letters Patent.

Original application filed July 30, 1907, Serial No. 386,255.

Patented Aug. 30, 1910.

Divided and this application filed November Serial No. 529,845.

ner so as to permit the raising and lowering of the bridge leaf by the exertion of minimum power.

The locking device for connecting the ends of the two leaves with each other is of a kind that may be called a structure lock, that is to say, a lock wherein the interlocking parts thereof are rigid with the structure of the bridge leaves and are brought together, and into interlocking engc ement, by the movement of the front ends ofg the leaves as they are moving downwardly to a closed position. Said locking device comprises upper and lower extensions H, H1, respectively, carried by and extending forwardly from one of the leaves. The upper locking extension is made shorter than the lower one, and said extensions are separated by a notch or recess h. The companion leaf of the span is provided with a horizontal locking member H2 which is fixed to upright parallel plates or webs 71,1, h1 extending forwardly from said leaf and said locking member H2, when the leaves occupy their closed position, is engaged with the extensions H, H1 between the latter, while the lower extension H1 is located within the space between the laterally separated plates 71.1, h1. The upper extension H is short enough to permit the locking member H2 to swing into the notch /L- during the closing ymovement of the leaves, while the longer extension H1 serves to limit the downward movement of the leaf carrying the locking member H2 and guides the latter into the notch as the leaves approach their closed position.

The locking members or projections H, H1 are secured to a transverse girder H3 which extends across the front end of the Hoor structure of the leaf, while the plates h1 of the locking member H2 are likewise secured to the transverse girder H3 of the other leaf, the parts being braced to longitudinal beams a2, a1 of the leaf structures, by bracing members h2, h2. It will be understood that said locking members are located adjacent to the planes of the trusses at the lower chords thereof, there being two pairs of such locking devices usually applied to each two-leaf span.

It will be understood lthat in closing the bridge provided with a locking device such as described, the leaf carrying the two projections H, H1 will usually be lowered in advance of the other leaf, until the projections on the two leaves reach such relative positions that by accelerating the downward movement of the span carrying the locking member H2, the latter will pass the upper or shorter projection H and come in contact with the outer part of the lower and longer projection H1. Thereafter both of the leaves will be lowered together, or at the same rate of speed, so that the locking member H2 will slide inwardly along the upper face of the lower or longer projection H1, until it enters beneath the upper and shorter projection H and is engaged with both projections H and H1.

It will be observed that the locking device made as described not only stronglyand rigidly holds the meeting ends of the two leaves from vertical movement relatively to each other, but also from relative lateral movement; the engagement of the lower and longer rojection H1 with the parallel, upright p ates h1, h1 serving to prevent any lateral shifting of one member of the locking device with relation to the other member thereof.

It is to be understood that in carrying out my invention, members on the meetmg ends of two bridge leaves, arranged and operating as described, ma be constructed in any desired or preferre manner, and may be attached or secured to the leaves by any desired or preferred form of connecting or attaching means, and I do not, therefore, desire to bel'limited to the details of construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, either in the structure of the locking 'form a recess or notch, and a transverse 'locking member on the end of the other leaf,

adapted to enter said notch, the locking eX- tension beneath the notch being longer than the one above it.

2. In a bascule bridge comprising two swinging leaves, locking means for the meeting ends of'vthe leaves comprising two vertically separated locking projections on one of the leaves, a transverse, horizontal locking member on the other leaf adapted to enter the space between said locking projections, and vertical., parallel lates upon said other leaf to which the en s of the transverse member are attached and which are adapted to receive the lower locking projection.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my 'signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 15th day of `November A. D. 1909.

ALBERT H. SCHERZER. Witnesses:

T. H. ALFREDS, CLARENCE E. MEHLHOPE. 

